Saint John Chrysostom

In this lecture His Holiness Pope Shenouda III describes the life of Saint John Chrysostom, explaining that the final part of his life was spent as Patriarch in Constantinople for about ten years from 397 to 407 AD, and that his great fame began when he was a priest in Antioch because of his powerful preaching.

🔹 His Spiritual and Scholarly Qualities
His Holiness explains that John was a great preacher and interpreter of the Holy Scripture; many of his sermons became books, and he interpreted the Gospel of Matthew and John, the Acts of the Apostles, and the epistles of Paul, and he wrote many spiritual, ethical, and theological essays.

🔹 His Upbringing and Formation
John was born into a noble family and his father died early; he was raised by his mother who was widowed while young, and he studied under the most famous philosophers and orators and excelled in philosophy, rhetoric, logic, and theology.

🔹 His Ascetic Life and Miracles
After advancing in spiritual formation he withdrew and lived as a recluse for years, then served the Church with powerful preaching; he was a strict ascetic and bold in truth, known for reproving sinners and yet loved by the people despite the severity of his criticisms.

🔹 His Bold Stances and Consequences
He was bold in confronting error and clashed with rulers, including an empress whose resistance led to his exile; he faced accusations and political punishments, yet his sermons remained preserved in Church history.

🔹 His Theological and Preaching Legacy
His great works in preaching and exegesis transformed his influence into books that continued to be published from the fourth century into the twentieth, and the Church named him “Chrysostom” (Golden Mouth) for the eloquence of his speech and depth of his impact.

🔹 The General Spiritual Message
Saint John is the model of the ascetic-preacher who combined asceticism, preaching, and boldness in truth; his words and deeds left a lasting mark on the Church, and his life calls us to humility, integrity, and courage in defending the truth.

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